A Lion in the House (2006)

Five families struggle with the ups and downs of cancer treatment over the course of six years.

Directors:

Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert

Stars:

Justin Ashcraft, Adam Ashcraft, Dale Ashcraft

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Justin Ashcraft	...	Himself
Adam Ashcraft	...	Himself
Dale Ashcraft	...	Himself
Debbie Ashcraft	...	Herself
Jennifer Roller	...	Herself
Robert Arceci	...	Himself (as Dr. Robert Arceci)
Victor Balaso	...	Himself (as Dr. Victor Balaso)
Cyndi DeLaat	...	Herself (as Dr. Cyndi DeLaat)
Malini Gillen	...	Herself (as Dr. Malini Gillen)
Fred Huang	...	Himself (as Dr. Fred Huang)
Paul Jublinsky	...	Himself (as Dr. Paul Jublinsky)
Connie Coons	...	Herself
Alex Lougheed	...	Herself
Jackie Lougheed	...	Herself
Judy Lougheed	...	Herself

Storyline

Five families struggle with the ups and downs of cancer treatment over the course of six years.

---

Plot Keywords:

cancer | 

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

ITVS PBS [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

De unga kämparna på canceravdelningen

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

225 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

A real disappointment

I agree with those who say this film was very poorly done. It was a major letdown. I had heard about its Sundance accolades and that it was doing well at festivals but I was totally shocked at how bad it was when I saw it. This film felt like some tired old PBS throwback. The shooting wasn't all that great but I'm usually willing to overlook that if the story is really strong. It just wasn't, even though the subject is something that many people can relate to given that cancer is so prevalent in our society. I found myself feeling like I was in elementary school once again being forced to watch an "educational" film in class. Moreover, the filmmakers seemed to have almost no interest in showing any kind of conflict or emotion throughout it which felt to me like a bit of a whitewash. It seemed like a public relations video for the hospital where they were filming rather than a really, good story.